If you're slacking off on homework working through SICP, you're probably top-tier worthy. People who go after their interests are by definition more interesting.
Don't weigh yourself on the standard metric because you're not standard. And don't let that hinder the selling of yourself in your applications. I would much rather hire a person who has started a startup before than one from a corporate environment, and I think this principal holds true for colleges as well - they would much rather accept someone who does what they're interested in and pursues things beyond the norm.
College is the first great opportunity for young people to learn how to sell. Think of yourself as a package - what differentiates you and makes you special? Then, arrange your application that way. It's foolish to put your SAT scores and grades up front as your flagship 'feature' that differentiates you from others, even if you've aced them. Take some time arranging your application centered around your strengths and things that you're proud of, and make them want to have you, or regret it every night for rejecting you.
Again, go after those top-tier schools - being rejected is not as bad as regretting not applying to them.
FWIW, I don't think top-tier schools care about "interesting" people. When I was in high school, I got mostly As and Bs, studied abroad (and hence spoke two langauges pretty well), and spent most of my time learning math and writing software. I also had 99%-ile test scores and was pretty good at writing. However, I also had a run-in with a history teacher, and failed his class. That pretty much guarantees that you won't get into a good school. I applied to CMU, CalTech, and MIT and didn't get in. I did get in to UIUC and UIC, and chose UIC since it was closer. HUGE MISTAKE. My classmates didn't speak English, my professors didn't speak Enlgish, and I had no friends. I dropped out after 2 years.
All in all, this is irrelevant. My goal was to become a professor, but I learned that industry was much more lucrative than acadamia. If I want to do research, I can do it from my house. The classes I teach professionally pay more for 2 days than most professors make in a month.
So in the end, it all worked out. It would have been nice to have a "formal education", though. Maybe I will move to Urbana-Champaign and get a degree from there... or maybe not.
If you're slacking off on homework working through SICP, you're probably top-tier worthy. People who go after their interests are by definition more interesting.
Don't weigh yourself on the standard metric because you're not standard. And don't let that hinder the selling of yourself in your applications. I would much rather hire a person who has started a startup before than one from a corporate environment, and I think this principal holds true for colleges as well - they would much rather accept someone who does what they're interested in and pursues things beyond the norm.
College is the first great opportunity for young people to learn how to sell. Think of yourself as a package - what differentiates you and makes you special? Then, arrange your application that way. It's foolish to put your SAT scores and grades up front as your flagship 'feature' that differentiates you from others, even if you've aced them. Take some time arranging your application centered around your strengths and things that you're proud of, and make them want to have you, or regret it every night for rejecting you.
Again, go after those top-tier schools - being rejected is not as bad as regretting not applying to them.